For the average people DAT 8/18

[CK2006]

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Hello to all my fellow SDN'ers.. this post is for those of you who, like me, have less than a 3.5 GPA and are always low on confidence about your academic ability.

I took the DAT for the 2nd time today, here's my scores from the first time and 2nd time:

DAT # 1 (5/15/05)

Bio: 15
GChem: 13
OChem: 13
RC: 16
QR: 18
PAT: 17

AA: 15

These were really my scores, but before you get scared, just know that there is hope... My scores today were:

Bio: 18
Gchem: 19
OChem: 15
RC: 21
QR: 21
PAT: 18

AA: 19

I know these arent the typical scores yous ee ion this site of 20+ (which is obviously what I wanted), but it gives me hope and I think it might be enough to get to where I wanna go (U of Louisville avg DAT AA of class of 2009 was 18, PAT 17).

Good luck to you all and I will post questions and how I prepared later.

 

[chordata]

How did you prepare for the first DAT? Did you just take it cold? Did you do anything different the second time around that helped improve your score?

Congrats!

 

[Flipper405]

I took the DAT for the 2nd time today

I could never take two DATs in one day. 😛

But seriously, not too bad of a job second time around, although the OC is a bit low.

Good luck despite that. 👍

 

[jk5177]

Thanks for posting encouragements on this site, it is nice to see.

 

[786mine]

low on OC i agree, but good improvement overall. you have a good chance. good luck.

 

[dWiz]

your RC score jumped five points the 2nd time..what did u do differently?

 

[SteakNature]

You did improve well.
Besides Ochem, I think you did very well.
I wish you good luck for the rest of the application process.

 

[CK2006]

Thank you all so much for the compliments and positive comments.

This site really helped me alot in strategies as well as seeing so many people do well, gives you confidence.

As far as preparation, the first time all I used was the Kaplan blue book and I got those horrible scores, haha. This time around I spent alot more time on practice tests, subject tests (Kaplan, Topscore).

About a week before my test I bought Schaum's outlines for Biology and College Chemistry which I believe were VERY HELPFUL. They seem thick but most of the pages are questions and the actual study material isnt too lengthy.

As far as the sciences go, Schaums is a great review, however, you cannot depend on it totally. I reviewed my Kaplan notes along with all the practice tests. The questions I had on my Bio section were quite detailed, such as:

1) What is the first product of glycolysis?
2) What causes striations in skeletal muscles?
3) What form is Carbon Dioxide when it enters the blood stream?
4) Why are chloroplasts and mitochondria believed to have been prokaryotes?

So as you can see you really need the basic knowledge for Bio.

Chemistry was not bad at all, I thought I got a higher score. The thing with Chem is just exposing yourself to as many types of questions as possible. Every calculation has a shortcut because they know they cant give a lengthy problem. So if you have seen the types of questions enough, you know what to look for. Top Score and Schaum's and the Kaplan subject tests helped ALOT for this. Rate orders, molarity, molality, density, Pressure, Volume, Temperature, etc all the basics should be known very well.

For some reason, I always neglected O Chem cuz I thought it was too hard. Kaplan does a good job, as does Schaum's, but you really have to have a good foundation. All I knew how to do was identify enantiomers, diastereomers, stable molecules, etc. I sucked at reactions and thats what killed me.

PAT- you either know it or you dont. Practice, practice, practice. Another thing is timing on this section, mark the tough ones for later.. snag the easy ones while you can.

RC- As you can see, I had a big jump in this section. The main thing I did differently is I did not read the passages. I took the advice from all fellow SDN'ers and just skimmed for answers. It does however consume just as much time, but you have more time to search for the exact answer. I ran out of time and had to blow a few questions here.

QR- Basic stuff, fractions, trig, etc, Kaplan is pretty sufficient.

Overall, it is a tough test, no doubt. I know most of the people who post on this site are very smart and pull 20's w/ no trouble. But honestly, it can be done.. you can do as well as you want to, you just have to put in the time and master the key concepts. Good luck to you all, and thanks again to all of you for your help. If you guys have any questions, let me know, take care.